Ablekuma North election rerun: Gov’t condemns attacks on journalists

The government has condemned the violent attacks on journalists and political figures during the parliamentary election rerun in Ablekuma North Constituency.

Deputy Minister for Government Communications, Shamima Muslim, lauded the Ghana Police Service for acting immediately and interdicting the officer who was caught on camera slapping a GHOne TV journalist, Kwabena Agyekum Banahene. She urged the police to go further and take decisive action against anyone seeking to disrupt the electoral process or incite violence.

Banahene was assaulted while covering events at a polling station. He described the incident as unprovoked, noting that he was the only journalist singled out among several present. The officer involved has been removed from duty and is now under investigation by the Police Professional Standards Bureau.

In another disturbing incident, a female JoyNews reporter was attacked by a masked individual at the entrance of the polling station. That assault, also caught on video, has fueled growing calls for better protection of journalists covering political events.

The chaos wasn’t limited to media personnel. Former Fisheries Minister and Member of Parliament, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was physically attacked during the unrest. Footage circulating online shows her being thrown to the ground and stomped on before officers stepped in to stop the assault. NPP parliamentary candidate Nana Akua Afriyie and a female party agent also sustained injuries in the mayhem.

Former Vice President and current NPP presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, denounced the violence, calling it a direct attack on the country’s democratic values. However, his remarks sparked criticism from opposition MP Sam George, who bluntly told him to “shut up,” accusing him of hypocrisy.

The Electoral Commission is overseeing the rerun in 19 polling stations across the constituency. The rerun came as a result of irregularities in the December 2024 general elections that has ledt the area without a Member of Parliament for over six months.

The government is calling for calm and accountability, stressing that violence has no place in Ghana’s democratic process.